


Way of the Horse

by Burgie



Category: Star Stable
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-03
Updated: 2016-08-03
Packaged: 2018-07-29 01:25:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,477
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7664905
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Burgie/pseuds/Burgie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nathalie decides to help Ricky with his training</p>
            </blockquote>





	Way of the Horse

“Thanks again for helping me out, Louisa,” said Nathalie, watching as the young woman put away the cleaned shovel.

“It’s really no problem,” said Louisa. “Besides, you need all the help you can get.”

“I know,” said Nathalie. She sighed. “At least there are still some decent people left in the world.”

“Yeah. Hey, I just had an idea- you need help and Ricky should probably do some stable chores to help him brush up on his Epona Kai tactics. Maybe he should help you out,” said Louisa.

“I have suggested it to him but he always says that he’d get in my way or something,” said Nathalie. She shook her head, smiling. 

“But he’d be doing the exact opposite,” said Louisa. “I mean, unless he distracts you from your work. I know how that is.”

“You have a boyfriend?” asked Nathalie, hearing the unspoken ‘I know from experience’.

“Girlfriend,” said Louisa. “Sometimes it’s hard to concentrate when she’s around.”

“Well, anyway, I don’t think that it’d be a problem,” said Nathalie. “I’m mostly busy with the riders anyway, I can take them out for rides while he helps to care for the horses and get them ready for rides. Maybe a little hard work will help keep him in shape.”

“Exactly,” said Louisa. “Now it’s just a matter of convincing him that he won’t get in your way. Even if you have to seduce him into it.”

“You know, I think that half his problem is the fact that he was still sore over letting everyone down,” said Nathalie. “And yeah, I might’ve yelled at him a bit at first when he lost that paddock but I couldn’t stay mad at him.”

“It’d be like kicking a puppy,” said Louisa. “But if he loses this time, you’ll lose the stables. So he’s probably avoiding you so he doesn’t have to deal with the guilt when he thinks about what’s at stake.”

“Yeah, I know, he’s not that clever,” said Nathalie. “Kind of a stereotypical jock like that. I wish that he’d at least offer to help though. I’d take him on in a heartbeat.”

“Do you think he’d listen if I asked?” said Louisa. Then she snorted. “Probably not, he didn’t listen to my suggestions about healthy diets. Can you ask him?”

“I wish I could but I don’t dare leave these stables even for a moment,” said Nathalie. “Ivan would probably swoop in and do something horrible the second I stepped away.”

“That’s probably true,” said Louisa. “Well, if you can’t go to him, I’ll bring him to you.” She climbed onto her palomino Icelandic. “I will be right back.”

Nathalie picked up a brush and began to groom Lady while she waited. The Choctaw mare was quite docile and affectionate, nuzzling her master’s hand even though Nathalie could no longer afford the little treats. Lady picked her head up and looked out the stable door as the sound of hoofbeats on cobblestones reached their ears.

“Why did you take me here, Louisa? This isn’t where we normally train,” said Ricky.

“What, I can’t just take you to see your girlfriend every once in a while?” asked Louisa.

“Well, that is nice,” said Ricky. Their voices got closer, and Nathalie gave Lady one last rub on the neck before she stepped out to greet her boyfriend.

“It’s nice to see you too,” said Nathalie. Ricky shuffled in place awkwardly, and didn’t move at first when Nathalie hugged him. But then his arms slowly went around her and he hugged her back.

“Sorry I don’t get to visit more often, I’m just so busy training,” said Ricky. Nathalie saw Louisa rolling her eyes at that, then suddenly straighten up and trot over to Ginny.

“Well, you could easily do those two things at once,” said Nathalie. “I need help and you need to train. I know that the way of the horse uses actions that you normally do around horses and stables and translates them into defensive moves, so…”

“Yes, Master Lucia was a great teacher. I will always remember that summer working at the stables,” said Ricky with a fond smile at the memory. But then his smile dropped as he remembered how he’d ultimately let her down.

“Hey. No sad stuff,” said Nathalie, putting a hand on his cheek. “You messed up but you can do this. I know you can. You just need to have more confidence in yourself.”

“But I failed,” said Ricky, looking down at his feet. “I’m just glad that she wasn’t there to see me fail. I lost her paddock, Nat, and her club, all because I couldn’t-“ Now he looked away, his lower lip trembling.

“That was a long time ago, Ricky,” said Nathalie. “Come on, let’s go inside the stable and sit down.” She took his hand and walked back into the stable with him, taking a seat on the hay bale.

“You’re so busy, you don’t have time for this,” said Ricky, but he sat down with her when she tugged on his hand. Then, she took both his hands in both of hers.

“My boyfriend is upset. Of course I have time for that,” said Nathalie. “Especially now that Louisa has been helping me.”

“That girl is a great help,” said Ricky. “I’ve been getting so much more training done now because of her.”

“Yes, and you’ll get even more training done if you helped me out here at the stables,” said Nathalie. He opened his mouth to speak, but she stopped him. “And before you say anything, I know that you think that remembering the actions is enough. Louisa has told me. But I think that it will also be good for you to go right back to basics. And I’m not just talking about mucking and feeding and grooming.”

“What else is there?” asked Ricky.

“So much more,” said Nathalie. “You’ll gain strength from hauling hay bales and water buckets. But there’s more than that. The horses here are free to ride whenever you wish. Or even just to observe.”

“And I do have to be on my guard around horses,” said Ricky. “You never know when one could be spooked by a snake or something.”

“Exactly,” said Nathalie, grinning. “Now you’re getting it. You can even practice some of your moves on Ivan whenever he comes around.”

“And I can set up a punching bag and bring some weights here to the stables,” said Ricky. His earlier melancholy had lifted from him, now he looked like an entirely different man.

“Yes,” said Nathalie, nodding.

“But won’t I be getting in your way?” asked Ricky. Nathalie sighed.

“Ricky, I need all the help I can get. We can all see that,” said Nathalie. “Even with Louisa helping, I just barely manage to get everything done. I have no time for dates, hardly even enough time to rest or eat. Some days I only eat when you bring my lunch to the stables.”

“What? Nat, that’s horrible,” said Ricky, cupping her face in his hands. “No wonder you look so thin.”

“A lot of people comment on me looking tired too,” said Nathalie. “I guess sleeping in the stables can’t be healthy.”

“In the st- Nathalie!” Ricky looked truly appalled, and then his mind made the connection and he levelled a glare in the general direction of GED’s offices.

“I can’t sleep for fear of him coming in the night and doing something awful,” said Nathalie. “I set up a little alarm system so I’ll know if he tries to get into the stables.”

“Right, because you can’t afford to install a proper one,” said Ricky. He sighed. “Well then, I’ll just have to sleep here with you.”

“No, you can’t, you need to rest so that you’ll be in top condition,” said Nathalie.

“The competition is months away,” said Ricky. “A little missed sleep here and there won’t bother me. Besides, I can sleep anywhere comfortably. And I know that you’ll sleep better with me.”

“That’s true,” said Nathalie. She blushed lightly at the thought of sleeping wrapped up in her boyfriend’s strong arms, and her blush only intensified when he tilted her chin up and kissed her.

“It will be good to spend more time with you too. I’ve missed you,” said Ricky.

“A little reminder of what you’re fighing for. Literally fighting for,” said Nathalie with a little laugh.

“Heh, I guess it is romantic. Fighting for my girlfriend and her livelihood. Fighting for us,” said Ricky.

“Yes,” said Nathalie. “And I’m going to help you in every way that I can. I’m here for you, Rick. Because I love you.”

“I know you are. And I love you too,” said Ricky. They embraced, each comfortable in the knowledge that everything was okay. And everything would remain okay. It had to.


End file.
